


Evil Dragons and Possessed Princes

by ReynaAtTheEnd



Series: Tales from Askr [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Nightmares, a little shiptease between Kiran and Seliph, musing on the similarities between Lyon and Julius, nothing dramatic but its there, some fluff at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 08:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14564898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReynaAtTheEnd/pseuds/ReynaAtTheEnd
Summary: Confronting the Demon King and recruiting Lyon is a victory. However, Seliph is deeply shaken by what he's seen, and Kiran tries to comfort him. After all, Lyon isn't the first possessed prince Seliph has met...





	Evil Dragons and Possessed Princes

Camp on the Border of Askr and Nifl

The nightmares Kiran had after recruiting Prince Lyon of Grado were the worst she'd ever had. 

[She wants to blame it exclusively on the zombies, because what the fuck that's not supposed to be possible oh god why. They play their part – the bodies of those she defeated in her journey rising, mutilated, from their graves to tear her limb from limb. But what stuck in her mind the most was looking into Lyon's eyes and seeing his consciousness just beyond the Demon King's, lost in horror and despair at what was unfolding.]

She woke with a half stifled scream, rocketing into a sitting position as she flailed blindly at the invisible claws of the monster that was now locked away deep in the soul of her newest recruit. Her hand smacked the sacred gun she always kept at her right, which helped shock her back into the present – she was in her tent, not the cold, crumbling palace where they'd fought the Demon King. Trembling, she lowered herself back onto her pillow, blinking away the tears that burned at the corners of her eyes. It was just stress. The Light Blessing suppressed the Demon King's consciousness for as long as he was in Askr. That monster couldn't hurt anyone...now he couldn't even hurt Lyon. 

Thinking about Erikia's joyful sobs as she hugged Lyon for dear life, just before Ephiram snatched them both up in a tight embrace, unwound something in Kiran's chest. [That memory is a balm, is magical, and whenever she feels weighed down or close to despair she will picture it to chase those feelings away.] She loosened her grip on the sheets and concentrated on her breathing, keeping her eyes open and on the bright red color of an orb. She slept in one of the wagons used for transport – so did the Kanas, for that matter, though thankfully it seemed she hadn't woken either of them. 

Rubbing her eyes clean, Kiran smiled down at the tiny prince and princess of Valla. At first, she'd been even less happy about their involvement in the Order than Roy's or Nino's. For gods sake, they were twelve! Even if they could turn into rampaging dragons... ...Okay, the power of a rampaging dragon was hard to ignore. She'd stumbled onto one Kana having a massive panic fit and transforming, and it had taken two of her highly capable teams to subdue him and calm him down. [Thank goodness for Micaiah. She had walked up to him and given him a hug. Kiran was half certain she'd be burying what was left of the prophet, but instead Kana transformed right back and hid in her arms for the rest of the day.]

Kana mumbled something and turned over in her sleep. She seemed to be escaping the nightmares at the moment, which was a relief. Kiran gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind one pointed ear. 

[Nino is their best friend. She gleefully dotes on the pair, is willing to play endless games of hide and seek and house, tell them stories, and sleep alongside them. Jaffar is pulled along for the ride; half the time the poor boy looks absolutely bewildered by everything – especially when princess Kana gleefully hugged his leg.] 

“Kiran?” Matthew's hushed voice floated from the front of the wagon. “How awake are you?”

“Mmm...” She doubted her dreams would be restful. Well, Leif would be understanding about this bout of sleeplessness. “Fairly. Why?”

“Seliph just left camp.”

“Huh?” Kiran twisted her head to look over at him. He was sitting upright, his posture eased enough that she'd assumed he was still asleep. “What's going on?”

“Nothing, as far as I can tell, though he seemed furtive.” Matthew reported. “He isn't armed, so I doubt he's seen anything.”

“Right...” Kiran rather wished Anna hadn't kept Sigurd for patrol. “Okay...stay here and watch the Kanas?” She grabbed her hooded summoner's coat from the bag containing her clothes and threw it on over her jeans and shirt. It was chilly, but not cold in this area – there was no snow, and the grass felt soft and soothing beneath her toes as she stepped out of the wagon. It was early morning; the sun was just creeping over the horizon, bathing the clearing with pale light. A strong breeze pulled at her hood; she readjusted it and looked around for her wayward prince. 

Thankfully, he hadn't gone far. There was a stream a minute's walk from the camp, and that's where she found him. He was sitting against a massive weeping willow, gazing at the water without really seeing it. His hands were on his knees...he seemed so young all of a sudden.

[It's an odd thought, because Seliph is exactly the same age as her, but being a commander, a crusader, a brand of hope gave her the sense he was mature beyond his years. She occasionally wondered if she appeared this way to Alfonse and Sharena.] 

“Seliph?” She asked gently, kneeling down next to him. 

“Oh, Kiran...” He smiled, though it faltered a bit. “I...did Matthew-?”

“No, I was already awake. Don't worry.” She put a hand on his arm. “...What's wrong? You look like you're miles away.” 

“Ha...” Seliph hit his head back against the tree trunk. “...Tell me...is the Demon King a dragon?”

Kiran blinked in surprise, then thought for a few moments. “...Erikia told me a little of his lore, though its old enough that no two stories give the same origin for him. One said that he was a man resurrected through dark magic; however, violating nature in such a way caused him to take on demonic attributes, which grew stronger the more of the living world he destroyed. Another said that he was once a dark mage who was burnt at the stake for heresy; sustained by magic powered by his hared of his persecutors, he turned into the demon king before the eyes of the horrified crowd.” Her brow furrowed. “Ephiram said that Myrrh thinks he may have been a dragon once, before falling to evil.”

[She hadn't been surprised that Erikia was more prepared to talk about Lyon and the subjects connected to him thanks to the Demon King's possession than Ephiram was. She HAD, however, been surprised that Ephiram, after getting to know her, was the first of the twins to painfully call the prince 'the man I love' when telling her about him. Ephiram always loathed to be vulnerable.]

“I see...”

“...Why do you ask...?” 

It hit her a second after the words left her lips. Loptyr. 

“...It kept him conscious.” Seliph slowly shook his head. “Prince Lyon. It had nothing to gain from doing that but sadistic amusement. Making him watch while it destroyed the world.” 

Kiran nodded mutely. She could hardly fathom the demon's sheer pettiness. 

He sucked in a sharp breath. “...Prince Julius is the head of the child hunts. He feeds children to his dark god.” His fingers tightened on his knees. “Julia told me that she remembered her brother being kind and gentle.” Just like Lyon. “Lady Ishtar serves him out of love.” She nodded slowly. “He...He is my half brother. My family.”

“Seliph...” [He had never called Julius his brother the scant few times he'd come up in conversation. Ever. ]

Seliph turned to look at her then, and her heart twisted at the anguish in his expression. “I thought that he was just power mad, like his father. The willing vessel of Loptyr. But...but what if he isn't? What if he's a prisoner in his own body, like Prince Lyon? Reduced to a meat puppet, screaming into the uncaring void as the mad dragon sends assassins after his twin sister and kills children? I'd never given it a passing thought before now. I...” He shook his head, trembling. 

“I understand,” She murmured, floundering slightly. What should she say?

He didn't seem to have heard her. “What if Loptyr consumed his soul entirely, as the Demon King had been taunting Ephiram and Erikia with? Then, would he not be free, even in death? I-”

“Seliph.” Kiran gently placed a hand on his cheek so she could look him in the eye. “Seliph. Breathe.”

He nodded slightly; there were tears burning at the corners of his eyes. Kiran brushed her thumb across his cheek; somehow the intimacy of it didn't fluster her at all. “Shhh.” She murmured.

“I had a dream...” Seliph murmured. “I drove Tyrfing through Julius's heart. He looked at me...just...” He took a shaky breath. “He called me brother...pleaded for me to save him...and then I heard Loptyr laughing at us. He split open Julius's corpse, rose from it a fully grown dragon. He laughed that the savior of Jugdral was a kinslayer, a murderer...”

Her heart broke for him; she desperately wished Sigurd was here. She needed to reach Anna and ensure they could see each other as soon as humanly possible. She wished she knew more about Loptyr so she could tell him something useful. Instead, she twisted so she was on her knees and kissed him on the forehead. He looked up at her in surprise. 

[He had beautiful eyes. Sigurd said that he got them from Deirdre.]

“All of this is at Lopytr's feet.” She said. Then her brow furrowed. “Perhaps at his talons would be more appropriate.” Seliph managed the faintest of smiles for an instant. “He doesn't get to judge you. He doesn't have the right.” 

“Kiran...”

“I'm serious.” She gently squeezed his shoulders. “I'm sorry I can't advise you much about Julius. But I can tell you this – if he does exist just behind Loptyr's madness, he wants you to stop him. I know that I would, in his place.”

“...I'd rather not imagine that.” Kiran blinked. Seliph's expression had softened into something she couldn't quite read. “You, possessed by Loptyr? What chance would anyone have?” 

“Ha...thank you? I think? That doesn't really sound right, does it?” That got him to smile, and she giggled slightly.

They remained in silence for a moment, listening to the running of the stream, when Kiran asked, “do you think you could go back to sleep?”

Seliph closed his eyes, then shook his head minutely. “I'm afraid to see what other fears my dreams will make manifest.” He said. “That must sound absurd.”

“Of course not.” She resisted the urge to grumble about how men seemed to think expressing any weakness wasn't permitted. “I'm awake for the same reason.” 

“...I'm sorry.” Kiran started when he took her hand in his, before blushing lightly. Seliph stood and helped her to her feet. He smiled shyly. “I...might have a way to pass some time. Do you dance?”

“I...n-no. I mean not really.” She looked down at her feet, nervous. “That is, I d-don't know anything professional.” [She'd had a few dance lessons when she was younger, but that was hip hop and pop music. Not the sweeping ballroom style that the princes and kings knew. That was relagated to Disney movies and dreams.]

“I'm far from perfect, myself...I didn't have much time to train. But I can show you what I do know.” Seliph took her other hand and moved it to his shoulder. “If that's alright.”

Kiran made herself look at him, and found herself smiling. “Yeah. I'd like that.”

By the time the rest of the troope was awake, Kiran was tired, but the dreams of death, rot and demons were faded and far away. She and Seliph greeted Lyon with good humor and they began the trek back to Askr.

**Author's Note:**

> It occurred to me while writing a piece involving Lyon that his story is pretty similar to Julius's. The main difference is that Julius's possession via Loptyr isn't really explored, and we're not really sure if he's conscious, willingly collaborating, or if he was just cut from his body altogether when he was 'gifted' the tome by Manfroy. I figured that Seliph doesn't know either, and seeing what happened to Lyon (kept semi conscious while the Demon King tried to destroy everything) would cause him to wonder if Julius is in the same situation. And since Seliph is something of a sweetheart, that would really distress him.
> 
> Side note - poor Seliph is pretty underpowered in Heroes compared to his home game. I haven't fully optimized him yet, but Sigurd rampages through maps in half the time his would-be-more-powerful son typically does. Poor thing!


End file.
